We are trying something new on gocolumbialions.com! Every Saturday, our new writer, Inside Lion, will give a week in reviewof Columbia Football from inside the coaches and player meetings. You'll get inside the meetings like never before!

Week In Review - March 29, 2014

By: Inside Lion

With spring football finished and the Columbia football team back from school break, the Lions have returned their attention to working in the weight room and conditioning. The coaches, though, are still finishing up with spring ball. This week, the staff evaluated each individual player’s performance throughout the three weeks of practices this spring.

Every play during the 12 spring practices was labeled with all 22 players’ numbers that were on the field. That allowed the coaches to easily sort through the film and make cut-ups for each player. These cut-ups totaled well over 200 plays for most players and that does not include any individual position work or one-on-one film.

This week, head coach Pete Mangurian sat down with both the offensive and defensive staffs and watched this film position by position, focusing mostly on the clips from the full-contact scrimmages.

As they watched film, the coaches discussed each player’s strengths, weaknesses, whether or not each player achieved their own personal goals for spring ball and what stood out most on film. Speed, instincts, quickness and overall athleticism highlighted most of that part of the discussion. The conversation then shifted to the fall. The staff touched on how they expect each player to fit into various schemes and what kinds of situations play best to each individual’s strengths. Spring ball also gave the staff some insight as to who might need more reps in season and who can focus mostly on the weight room and conditioning come fall.

While the coaches did see huge strides made in just three weeks of spring practice, they also saw plenty of ways for players to improve over the summer and in the fall. Each player will have some specific aspect of their game to work on, ranging from things like lower body strength to improving quick-twitch reactions. Overall, though, the staff was pleased with the speed and athleticism they saw from the Lions this spring.